SAN FRANCISCO — Wine Institute's third international "California Wines Summit" taking place May 15-20, 2017 will host 30 key wine media and trade from 10 countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Sweden, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland. The week of wine tastings and experiences was designed to build on California's reputation as a world class wine producer and top destination for wine country travel. The media/trade group will taste 500 wines from more than 50 American Viticultural Areas in California, presented by 200 vintners from across the Golden State. The 10 markets represented by the Summit guests account for more than 80 percent of the value of California wine exports. U.S. wine exports, 90 percent from California, were $1.62 billion in 2016, a record dollar value and a 25 percent increase from five years ago.

"Our California Wines Summit is providing key opinion leaders a wide-ranging experience of all that California wine offers," said Wine Institute President and CEO Robert P. (Bobby) Koch. "We will show the passion and innovation of our people, the high quality and diversity of California wines and our strong environmental stewardship. This event is one of our many initiatives to reach our goal of $2 billion in California wine exports by 2020."

To open the week-long program, U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson and veteran industry analyst Jon Fredrikson will give presentations on the "state of the state" of the California wine industry and its significant contributions to California: adding 325,000 jobs, $57.6 billion in economic impact and 24 million tourist visits annually.

To close out the week, California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross, President and CEO of Visit California Caroline Beteta, and Allison Jordan of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) will discuss sustainability and how California vintners and growers have established the state as the wine world's environmental leader in both acreage and production. CSWA's 2,100 participating wineries and vineyards represent 75 percent of California's winegrape acreage and 80 percent of its case production.

The guests will also experience in-depth tastings of Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, red and white blends, and sparkling wines from around the state led by top U.S. wine media and trade including Karen MacNeil, Leslie Sbrocco, Virginie Boone, Elaine Chukan Brown, Kelli White, Matt Stamp, MS, and Geoff Kruth, MS.

"These international leaders will have the opportunity to meet our vintners and experience the beauty and diversity of California wine country and its renowned wine, food and lifestyle," said Linsey Gallagher, Wine Institute Vice President of International Marketing. "We want them to share their experiences and what they learn about the tastes and trends in California wine when they return home and become "ambassadors" for California Wines in their home markets."